Summary of work: DNA repair can bes studied at the level of the whole genome, in specific regions, in specific genes, or in transcribed DNA. We have had an ongoing interest in the repair that takes place in genes and how it relates to gene function and cellular survival. We have examined the repair of essential genes and in various structural genes. We also examined whether repair was preferential in genes associated with the nuclear matrix. this appears to be the case as genes we have examined in that part of the cell structure are efficiently repaired. The nematode has been a very useful model system for the study of aging. There are useful mutants of many kinds including some with increased life span. These mutants with increased life span also are hyper resistant to various kinds of cellular damage, including UV irradiation and oxidative stress. By gene specific analysis of various gene regions in the nematode we seek to clarify whether the increased life span is associated with an increase in gene specific DNA repair